Exclusive: Prime Minister Scott Morrison refused to meet China’s new ambassador to Australia, despite a formal request from Beijing’s top diplomat | jamesmassola Jonathan Kearsley
Prime Minister Scott Morrison declined a meeting with China’s new ambassador to Australia, Xiao Qian, despite a formal request from the Asian nation’s new top diplomat.in Sydney several weeks ago in what was the most senior contact between the two nations in years, though they failed to resolve any outstanding disagreements.
Ambassadors from strategically significant international partners, including China and Indonesia, are also granted access in special circumstances. The relationship between the two countries has been in the diplomatic deep freeze for close to two years and Mr Xiao’s request for a meeting came as Mr Morrison attacked Labor as relatively weak on China and questioned whether it would stand up to Beijing.In meetings with Australians in the private sector in recent weeks, Mr Xiao said he was carrying a message from Chinese President Xi Jinping for the Australian government: “Australia has been treating China like the enemy.
“China would be eager to capitalise on the optics of a meeting and use it for its own purposes in terms of demonstrating that it is being the more magnanimous and broad-minded of the parties.”